Up to now, a variety of different surface structures have been developed, produced and investigated experimentally as well as virtually. A key challenge to reach the mentioned goals is the realisation of air retention on the foil over long times with appropriate surface structures and in various aqueous environments. The latter concern the air saturation in water and the wall shear stress at the surface. Main influence parameters are material of the foil, geometry and size of the surface structure. This video shows that a structured surface has been produced and successfully applied on a boat. During six days most of the air retained on the structured surface also under operational conditions of the boat. On day seven the air disappeared due to a change of air saturation in water and from day fourteen on fouling could be observed (not shown in the film). In addition, the applied structure size was too small to realise drag reduction. Nevertheless, this was an important step towards the production and application of air retaining surfaces. Further investigations have to follow.
Addressing target audiences and expressing needs
- To raise awareness and possibly influence policy
- Help in technical expertise
- Collaboration
- Base material development experts
- Additional funds for more experiments such as large scale manufacturing plant, air layer stability experiment at normal shipping conditions (speed, draughts, time exposure), more tests in rough waters, installation time comparisons with conventional solutions, experiments across the entire hull of the boat
- EU and Member State Policy-makers
- International Organisations (ex. OECD, FAO, UN, etc.)
- Research and Technology Organisations
R&D, Technology and Innovation aspects
- Prototype and test patches of self-adhesive ship coatings
- Long-term air retention will be possible with improved material properties.
